We have had a lot of interest from fans about the MoonBots Challenge and we are receiving some very good questions about the competition. We thought we would take some time to address these questions because if one person has the question, we are pretty sure that a few other fans have the exact same question.

Does every team participate in both phases of the competition? Or are only the top teams invited to participate in Phase Two? Every team competes in Phase One of the Challenge. From there, 20 Teams will be selected to compete in Phase Two of the Challenge.

What exactly is required in Phase One of the Challenge? The first thing that is required is for Teams to register on the MoonBots website: http://www.moonbots.org/. Each Team Member and Team Captain is required to complete and send in a Consent Form. The Team is then required to submit a Lunar Education video and also required to complete a Written Proposal of why their robot should be funded.

How do we submit a Written Proposal if we do not know what the Challenge Field looks like yet? In Phase One of the competition, all teams are asked to submit a written proposal. This proposal should be creative and no more than one page long. The main intent of this proposal is to explain why your idea for the robot is unique. Write the proposal with the prospective of why the Sponsors should fund your robot.

Will we be provided with complete information about the game board and missions before we need to submit the robot proposal for Phase One? The answer is no. The actual game board will not be released until the announcement of the Phase One winners.

In the video, can more than one topic be discussed? You can discuss more than one topic! Just make sure to "really" answer the assigned topic that you chose.

Will more detail be provided about the STEM outreach project? Or is it a very open-ended requirement? We want the teams to have free choice in what they choose to do for a STEM outreach project, however, will be posting suggestions at the beginning of Phase Two. Some of the suggestions will include hosting a MoonBots activity for other kids in their neighborhood to learn about robotics, setting up a twitter account that sends out one fun fact a day about space exploration, talking to a local business leader or government leader about the importance of STEM education and space exploration.

Will we be provided with LEGO elements to build the game board, or given the opportunity to purchase them as a kit? Or will the participants need to procure the required LEGO pieces on our own? In Phase Two of the competition, all Teams will receive all of the materials and supplies to build the robot challenge field and will also receive the LEGO MINDSTORMS robot. There will be on expense to Team.